Machine for forming hooks on spiral springs



F. H. SLEEPER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING HOOKS 0N SPIRAL SPRINGS. APPLICATION FILED MAY I5. 1916.

L31 L187, Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

22 23 I a 3 3 35 T" 5 WITNESSES.

l/V VEA/ TOR ATTORE F. H. SLEEPER. MACHINE FOR FORMING HOOKS 0N SPIRAL SPRINGS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, I916.

Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. H. SLEEPER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING HOOKS 0N SPIRAL SPRINGS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1910.

Patented July 29, 1919 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FTO

FRANK H. SLEEPER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO SLEEPER & HARTLEY, INC., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

'MACHINE FOR FORMING HOOKS ON SPIRAL SPRINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

- Application filed May 15-, 1916. Serial No. 97,498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. SLEEPER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing atd/Vorcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Forming Hooks on Spiral Springs, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for forming a hook, or a loop, as may be .desired, upon the end of a spiral spring, and having means of adjustment whereby the hook, or loop, may be madeto project from the end of the spiral spring in a plane corresponding with the axis of the spring or at one side thereof; and these objects, among others, I accomplish by means of the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter pointed out in the annexed claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved hooking machine viewed from the left hand side.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation. I

Fig. 3 isan enlarged view of Fig. 1, with a portion of the mechanism shown in sectional' view.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation as shown in Fig. 1, but with the hooking mechanism removed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view shown in section on the plane of the broken line 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detached view of the clamping and hooking mechanism, showing the position of the parts at the completlon of the hook.

Figs. 7 and 8 repnesent springs havin hooks formed on their ends in the plane 0' the axis of the spring, and

Figs. 9 and 10 represent springs with a hook formed at one end and a loop at the opposite end in a plane in alinement with one side ofthe spring.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the plane of the broken line 11 -11, Figs. 1 and 6.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes a metal framework adapted to be mounted upon a table or stand containing a horizontal bearing. for a shaft 2 carrying a pulley 3, capable of turning loosely upon the shaft, but held thereon between a fixed collar 4 and a friction clutch 5. The clutch 5 consists, in the present instance, of that form of a friction clutch now in common use, by which rotary motion is imparted to shown, but connected with the operative parts of the clutch by means of a link 6, Flg. 2. Rotary motion is imparted to the pu ley 3 from a convenient countershaft, and when the link 6 is depressed, the clutch 5 is brought into operation connecting the pulley 3 with the shaft 2, which then turns a complete revolution and is automatically released until the link 6 is again depressed by means of the foot treadle. The clutch 5, however, forms no part of my present invention and it is, therefore, not shown nor described in detail as its construction and operation will be well understood as it is a form of clutch now in common use and sometimes known as the Horton clutch, being substantially like that shown and described in Letters Patent of the United .States, No. 260,394, issued to James A. Horton, July 4, 1882. v The shaft 2 carries a cam 7 for operating the spring clamping mechanism. Projectmg from the side of the cam 7 is a crank pin 8 working in a slot 9 in a lever 10 pivoted at 11 to the framework of the machine. The free end of the lever 10 is provided with a head 12 in which the hooking members, consisting of a rectangular bar 13. and a blade 14, are held. The bar 13 is wedge'shaped at its lower end, as shown at 15, and is held in the head 12 by means of clamping bolts 16, 16. The bar 13 is provided'through its center with a longitudinal slot in which the blade 14 is held by a clamping screw 17. The lower end of the blade 14 is wedgeshaped, as shown at 18, for a purpose hereinafter described.

Pivoted upon the framework by a stud 19 is a swinging lever 20 provided at its free end with a head 21, upon one side of which is carried a clamp 22. The clamp 22 is provided with a bolt 23 which extends through a vertical slot in thehead-2l. The bolt 23 is screw threaded and is provided with a clamping nut 24. The lever 20 is connected by a spiral spring 25 with a pin 26 held in the framework of the mach1ne.- Bearing against the bolt 23 is a set screw 27 The clamp 22 is therefore adjustable upon the side of the head 21 to adapt it to springs of difi'erent diameters.

The spring to be operated upon, shown at 28, is supported in a seat formed at 29 in a block 30 mounted upon the framework of the through slots 34 in the plates 31, 32. In

case the size of the springs exceeds the capacityof the seat 29, I rabbet the under side of the plates 31, 32, as shown at 35, Fig. 2, enabling the plates to be turned over to allow the springs to be held in the rabbeted sections of the plates. The lever 20 carryin the clamping mechanism is provided wlth a roll 36 which is held against the periphery of the cam 7 by means of the spiral spring 25, and the cam 7 is suitably shaped to depress the clamping mechanism against the spring when laced in position to be operated upon by t e hooking mechanism.

Mounted upon the framework is a bracket 37 having a bearing for a rocking shaft 38,

' to which a lever 39 is attached extending horizontally toward the front of the machine. The forward end of the lever 39 carries a couple of steel plates 40,41 held in position by bolts 42, 43. The end of the lever 39 is slotted vertically and the plates 40, 41

are spaced apart to provide for the passageof the wedge-shaped end 18 of the blade 14. The lates 40 and 41 are held in an inclined position, and the lever 39 is adjustable to allow the forward edges of the plates 40, 41 to be vertically adjusted to enable the hooks upon the spring to be formed in alinement with the axis of the spring, or nearer the side of the spring as may be desired. The lever 39 is pressed upwardly by a spiral spring 44 which holds the lever 39 againstthe lower end of an adjusting screw 45 suprted'by arms 46 extending forwardly from the bracket 37. When the screw 45 has been adjusted to bring the lever 39 in its desired position, the set screw 47, carried by the lever 39, is screwed against the fixed framework,

thereby maintaining the lever 39 and the plates 40 and 41 in a fixed position. The orward edges of the plates 40, 41 are held against the end coil of the spring as the latremainln' coils and, as the bar 13 esc'ends, forcing t e separated coil over the ed es of ter-is clamped in position, and the hook is formed by bending the end coil over the edges of the plates 40, 41. by the downward swinging movement of the lever 10 actuated by the crank pin 8. As the lever 10 moves downwardly carrying the head 12, the wedge shaped tip 18 of the blade 14 is forced between ad acent coils of the spring, as shown in Fig. 1, separating the end coil tom the the p1ates'40,41, as shown in Fig-.6. f the hook is to be formed in alinement with the side of the spring, the plates 40, 41 are adj usted to bring their front edges in the plane of the side of the spring, or in the position shown in Fig. 1. If the hook is to be formed projecting from the center of the spring, the plates 40, 41 are raised to bring their front edges near the center of the spring, as shown in Fig. 6.

Upon the inner side of the block 30 which supports'the spring to be operated upon is a plate 48, Fig. 6, having in its upper and lower edges straight semicircular grooves 49, 49. The plate 48 is held securely against the block 30 by means of a bolt 50 which passes through a slot 51 in the block 30 to allow the plate 48 to be vertically adjusted. The semicircular grooves 49 are of the proper size to correspond with the gage of the wire forming the spring 28, and the plate is held in position to cause the lower side of the end coil to rest in one of the grooves 49, in order to hold the end coil from bein forced away from the adjacent coil at the ottom of the spring when the wedge shaped blade 14 is forced between the end coil and the adjacent coil of the spring.

The wedge-shaped blade 14 is vertically adjustable in the grooved bar 13, and the bar 13 is separated at its lower end to enable the blade 14 to be securialy clamped in position by the screw 17. The bar 13 is likewise adjustable vertically in the head 12. -The foot of the block 30 and the bracket 37 are horizontally adjustable in ways 52 in the framework of the machine.

The operation of my improved spring hooking machine is as follows :-In case the hooks or loops are .to be formed upon the ends of the springs, as represented in Figs. 7 and 8, projecting from the ends of the spring in a plane coincident with the axis of the spring, the bending plates 40 and 41 are raised by the adjustment of the lever 39 so that the forward edges of the plates 40 and 41 will bear a ainst the end coil of the sprin near the axis of the spring, as represente in Figs. 3 and 6, with the-end coil resting in the semicircular groove 49 of the plate 48. The lever 20 is then swung downwardlyby means of thecam 7 to carry the firmly in position. The lever 10 is then swung downwardly by the action of the crank pin 8, moving the wedge shaped tip 18 of the blade 14 between the end coil and the adjacent coil of the spring, thereby sepa-. rating the coils and pushing the upper edge. of the end coil rearwardly and downwardly against the edges of the bending plates 40, 41. The continued downward movement of the lever 10 brings the beveled end of the bar 13 against the upperedge of the end coil', forcing it down upon the upper surface of the bending plates, as shown n Fig. 6.

the plate 48 may be "The position of the bend formed in the end coil may be Varied by the vertical adjustment of the bending plates 40, 41. The distance of the hook, or loop, from the body of the spring is determined by the adjustment of the blade 14 in the bar 13. For example, if aii elongated hook like that shown at 53, Figs. 9 and 10, is to be formed, the blade 14 is moved downwardly in the bar 13 so as to draw out the hook by the wedge-shaped tip 18 before the beveled end of the bar 13 strikes the,'hook to carry it over the bending plates 40, 41.

By the adjustment of the hooking and clamping mechanism, my improved hooking machine is rendered of universal application to springs of different diameters, coiled from wire of difi'erent gages. The hooks can be formed in alinement with the axes of the springs, or above or below the axes. One machine, therefore, is capable of use with a wide range of springs. Not only hooks can be formed on the ends of springs, but by the proper rotative adjustment of the spring about its axis when placed in the machine, more or less of the end coil can be bent to form a hook. By the horizontal adjustment of the bracket 37, the bending plates 40, 41 may be drawn back to allow the spring to be inserted sufficiently far to cause two coils. to be bent down, if desired, forming acontinuous loop. In case two coils are to be bent over the bending plates, exchanged for a plate having two semicircular grooves to hold the coils from movement.

. ward v1ded with a spring supporting surface I claim 1. In a machine of the class described, a framework, a support for a spring, means for clamping a spring on said support, a hook forming mechanism comprising a reciprocating head, means for actuating said head, a grooved bar adjustably held in said headha-ving its lower end beveled, a plate adjustably held in said bar having its lower end beveled in the opposite direction to said bar, and a stationary plate over which the end coil of the spring is bent by the downmovement of said beveled bar.

2. Inv a machine of theclass described, a framework, a fixed support on said framework for the spring to be operated upon, means for positioning the spring on said support, and a straight edged plate progroove for the end "coil of the wlth said groove in the plane of the spring,

3. In a machine of the class described, a fram work, a slottedswinging lever pivoted on said framework, a shaft journaled in the framework, a crank pin carried by said shaft and inclosed in the a, forming mechanism carried by said swingcoil bending slot of said lever, a hook ing lever, a second swinging lever pivoted on the framework, a cam carried by said shaft for actuating said second lever, a support for the spring, means carried by said second lever for clamping a spring on said support.

4. In a machine of the class described; a

framework, a fixed support on said framework for the spring to be operated upon, means for clamping the spring on said support, and a pair of plates adjustable in the plane of the spring support for positioning the spring on its support.

5. In a machine of the class described, a framework, a driving shaft j ournaled in the framework, a lever pivoted on the framework, means carried by said lever for clamping the spring, a cam on said shaft for actuating said lever to clamp and release the spring, a second lever pivoted on the framework, means carried by said shaft for swinging said second lever, said second lever having at its free end a head carrying hook forming members, consisting of a bar adj ustably held in said head, and a blade adjustably held in operated upon, means for clamping the spring on its support, and a hooking mechanism comprising a pair of spaced plates, with their edges opposing the end coil of the spring, a Wedge shaped blade adapted to pass between the coils of the spring and between said spaced plates, and a bar for bending the end coil over said spaced plates.

7. In a machine of the class described, a framework, a fixed support for the spring, means for clamping the spring on its support, a bracket adjustable on the framework, a lever pivoted on said bracket, means for the angular adjustment of said lever, and a pair of spaced plates attached to the free end of sand lever and opposed to the end of the spring.

8. In a machine of the class described, a hook bending mechanism, comprising a pair of spaced plates adjustably held with their edges in opposition to the end of the spring to be operated on, a coil separating member adapted to pass through the space between said plates, and a. coil bending member for bending the end coil of the spring over said spaced plates, said coil separating'and said members being independently adjustable and means for clamping a spring in position forthe bending operation.

FRANK H. SLEEPER. 

